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You have probably watched movies where someone takes a diamond and uses it to scratch a mirror or, cut a hole in a window. If you have diamonds, the first thing you should do is keep then separate from other jewelry as they can, and will scratch. If your diamond didn't come in a box, find some soft cloth to wrap it in when you are not wearing it.

The second thing you should consider is always having your diamonds professionally cleaned. This way, the jeweler can check for loose stones and fittings at the same time as they are cleaned. If you wish to do your own cleaning, there are products you can buy that will clean your diamonds and other jewelry using ultrasound. These small machines are quite cheap and seem to do a good job.

If you don't want to buy an ultra-sonic cleaner, you can simply wash you diamonds in soapy water. A tooth brush is the perfect size for cleaning the back of the diamonds as the bristles can easily clean in-between the fittings around the diamond.

Finally, yet importantly, there are many commercial diamond cleaning products available on the market. Do take care though if you are cleaning your own diamonds. Make sure the product you are using is suitable and will not damage your diamond or fitting.

When heading out to buy your first diamond there are some basic things you should know about them. The first thing to establish is how much money you want to spend. As with all big purchases, unless you have a set budget it is easy to be persuaded to buy something that you can't really afford. Diamonds are no exception.

Diamonds are sold in carats; carats are measures of weight, just like ounces. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams. The larger the carat the more expensive the diamond will be, and, a carat that is in one piece is much more expensive that several small pieces of diamond that are combined to make a carat. Also, the larger the carat the more rare it becomes, though small carats are quite common.

Understanding carats can be a bit confusing because a carat is based on density. The denser a diamond is, the more carats it will weigh. This is why a small diamond can sometimes weigh more carats that a larger diamond.

Buying a diamond is a big investment so do some reading before you go shopping to make sure you know what you are buying.

Even though most people will own some diamonds in their life, they are still considered to be a luxury. That is because, for many, the diamonds they will own will be slivers of diamonds or small carats placed in wedding bands, engagement rings, bracelets, tie pins, cuff links, necklaces and earrings. Unless one is rich, anything bigger will just be a dream.

Owning large, high quality diamonds is still accepted as a sign that we have 'made it' in the money world. It is even acceptable for men to wear earrings now and many pop stars and athletes sport on or two in their ears. While very much a prized gem, diamonds only became sought after an expensive and prolonged marketing campaign by De Beers, the diamond experts. Now, everyone wants a diamond.

Diamonds naturally come in many colors and, the better the hue of the color, the more expensive the diamond is. Some jewelers also add color to low quality diamonds, while this, is of course, all perfectly legal, it allows lesser quality diamonds to gain a higher price because the added color can hide flaws. Some people are wary of colored diamonds and think they are fake. While they certainly can be, it is not the color alone that would make them fake. As always, when spending a lot of money on jewelry, always shop with reputable dealers.

I already reported about the sale of some of Imelda Marcos' super-duper high end jewelry. (See Imelda Marcos Loses Her Bling). Looks like she is still fighting in the courts to stop the sale. Marcos says, " We are not a materialistic people." Hmmmm…" We" ? Read more interesting quotes from this jewelry connoisseur: Marcos wealth 'honestly earned'Also Rest of Imelda's Jewelry " Pillaged" [...] Read More

Poor Imelda, first her shoes and now this! Her jewelry collection will be auctioned off this November. One of the jewelry items in the auction includes a " 150.01 carat Burmese ruby pendant and an ornate earrings, necklace and bracelet set." Just the ruby pendant alone from this set is estimated to be worth $290,000. Now, of course, the former first lady hasn't been wearing this jewelry in years because [...] Read More

Ed is not a guy. He's not your ex-boyfriend or ex-husband. He's much, much worse and much for difficult to get rid of. Ed or "E-d" stands for eating disorders. In an effort to help fight Ed, two artists have teamed up. One uses words as her art form, author Jenni Schaefer, whose book Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too [...] Read More

You've heard of Imelda Marcos and her shoes? One-thousand-sixty pairs in the closet. I'm not here to speak on behalf of Imelda's extravagance except to say that the wife of the Philippine's ex-president bought her shoes, not to wear, but as part of a collection. Like classic car fans, maybe? Incidentally, architect friend Mel Satok, who has contributed some delightful photos to this site and often suffered my remarks about [...] Read More

This, the engine in John Carroll's Marcos GT, which we featured in a recent blog, is pure artistry. At least I think it is and I suspect John does, too. But why, exactly, am I mesmirised by his little 1.6 liter Cosworth? Because it actually looks like an engine and also because, by contemporary standards, it is relatively simple in concept. In fact, if you look hard at the underhood [...] Read More